Shona people, culture and traditions from Zimbabwe Shona The Shona tribe is Zimbabwe's largest indigenous group, their tribal language is also called Shona (Bantu) and their population is around 9 million. They are found in Zimbabwe, Botswana and southern Mozambique in Southern Africa and bordering South Africa. Representing over 80% of the population, the Shona tribe is culturally the most dominate tribe in Zimbabwe. There are five main Shona language groups: Korekore, Zeseru, Manyika, Ndau, and Karanga. The Ndebele largely absorbed the last of these groups when they moved into western Zimbabwe in the 1830s. Traditionally, Shona people live in isolated settlements, usually consisting of one or more elder men and their extended families. Most decisions are made within the family, although organized political states were recognized as a source of centralized power. A principal chief who inherited his position and power in the same divine manner as a king headed them. He usually lived in a centralized location and was complemented by his court that advised him about most important decisions. The head chief often received substantial payment in the form of tributes from his constituency.

The Shona believe in two types of spirits. Shave spirits are most often considered to be outside or wandering spirits and vadzimu are ancestor spirits. Shave spirits are connected to populations living outside of Shona territory and may be connected to neighboring people. These spirits may be either malevolent or benevolent. Bad spirits are associated with witchcraft, while good spirits may inspire individual talents associated with healing, music, or artistic ability. Vadzimu represent all that is ideal and moral about a Shona way of life. They are usually associated with recent ancestors or with more remote culture heroes whose exact genealogy has been forgotten. They serve to protect society, but may withdraw this protection if the Shona moral ideals are not respected It was in the late 19th century that the peoples of this area speaking several mutually intelligible languages were united under the Shona name. Although known for their stone sculpture, the Shona Tribe of Zimbabwe has a rich artistic heritage, which includes decorative fabric painting using sadza too. Sadza (pronounced sudza) is Maize, a primary basis of their diet. Maize (corn) is ground into a fine meal, which is then cooked with water until it is the consistency of mashed potato.

Although eaten plain, sadza is often served with a vegetable or meat sauce to give it flavor. This painting technique uses the sadza instead of wax as a masking between the different paint colors. After painting, the canvas is left to dry in the sun. Finally, the fabric is washed to remove the sadza leaving it with a unique finished appearance. Designs often use traditional geometric patterns mixed with stylized objects from everyday Shona life Shona artist are well known for their stone sculptures and are typically called "Shona" sculptures because it is the name of the tribe in Zimbabwe that has traditionally created these works of art. The stone carving has been part of the Zimbabwean culture since 1200 AD when Great Zimbabwe, an archeological masterpiece of their early ancestors, was built. The re-emergence of this stone carving tradition in the 1950s, the solid forms and beautiful surfaces of Shona sculpture express an extraordinary emotional power". Today the art form commands worldwide recognition with the world's most talented carvers being recognized in Zimbabwe The Shona sculptures are produced from a variety of stones. Serpentine stone, with its considerable range of colors and hardness, is the material most commonly used by the sculptors.

Most serpentine stone used was formed over 2.6 billion years ago. Serpentine stone exists in a diversity of colors including black (the hardest and least common), browns, mauves, greens, and yellows. Sometimes sculptures are also made semi-precious stones like "Leopard Rock" and verdite. Drawing on ancient sculpting traditions they have produced a modern art movement of dignified, exquisite works. Reminiscent of Picasso and Henry Moore, these extraordinary, intense works speak to all humanity A selection of African Shona crafts available at African Crafts Market People & Culture — Zimbabwe — Our Africa People & Culture A mixture of peoples More than two-thirds of the population speaks Shona as their first language. Shona-speaking people (made up of the Karanga, Korekore, Manyika, Ndau, Rozwi and Zezuru, groups) live mainly in the eastern two-thirds of the country, including the capital of Harare. Dance Dance In this video...the SOS children play and sing to accompany a traditional Mbakumba dance. Dancing is very important in Zimbabwean culture.

Around one in five Zimbabweans (the Ndebele and Kalanga groups) speak Northern Ndebele, commonly known as Sindebele. Both Shona and Sindebele are Bantu languages originating from the time when Bantu-speaking tribes populated the region over 1000 years ago. Other ethnic groups in the southeast, representing around one percent of the population each, are the Tonga in the Zambezi Valley, the Shangaan or Hlengwe in the Low Veld, and the Venda on the border with South Africa. About two percent of the population is of non-African ethnic origin, mainly European and Asian. Art and music Art and music are highly regarded. Much of the music is still influenced by traditional rhythms and sounds, which are created using local instruments such as the mbira and marimba (a type of wooden xylophone). See Zero to Hero in Children's Tales , which tells how Godfrey was desperate to learn the marimba from a young age. The mbira is a small hand-held instrument (belonging to a family known as lamellophones). Commonly referred to as a 'thumb piano', it is actually played using both thumbs and forefingers.

Watch the SOS children playing their mbiras in the feature video and hear the instrument's very distinctive soft sound. Mbiras have been played for over a 1,000 years in Zimbabwe. They come in different sizes and normally have between 22 to 28 metal keys. These keys or iron prongs are mounted on a hardwood soundboard which is often placed inside a large gourd/calabash skin. The calabash shell acts as the resonator (or deze). Shona art Shona sculptures are often semi-abstract and minimalist (not detailed). Themes sometimes come from figures in African folklore. Animals also prove popular with foreign buyers. See the video of the Zimbabwean sculptor and his amazing sculptures carved from local stone. The trademark stone sculptures of Zimbabwe can be found in markets, shops and galleries everywhere. Works are also bought internationally. Though the art form is referred to as Shona, it is not specific to the Shona peoples. The sculptures are made from many different types of local stone, including black serpentine, springstone and verdite.

A fusing of beliefs Christianity (of many different denominations, including Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist and Dutch Reformed Churches) is practised widely across Zimbabwe. But many people also hold traditional beliefs in ancestors, as well as in prophecy and divination, where divine inspiration is sought through communication with the spirits. The Shona have been monotheistic (holding a belief in one supreme deity) for centuries, calling their deity Mwari. Learn and talk about Shona people, Shona narrow Shona (1.3 million people) Toko Hwesa Members or close relatives: Manyika [7] in Zimbabwe (861,000) and Mozambique (173,000). In Desmond Dale's basic Shona dictionary, also special vocabulary of Manyika dialect is included.

[8] Kalanga (Western Shona), [9] in South-Western Zimbabwe, rather integrated in the Nguni culture, therefore little identification with the other Shona (700,000) and Botswana (150,000): Dhalaunda/Batalaote (they lived in Madzilogwe, Mazhoubgwe, up to Zhozhobgwe) Lilima (BaWombe; Bayela - are in the central district with Baperi) Baperi (live together with BaLilima as mentioned above) Banyai , speaking Nambya [10] in Zimbabwe (90,000) and Botswana (15,000), sometimes subsumed to the Western Shona Ndau [11] in Mozambique (1,580,000) and Zimbabwe (800,000). Their language is only partly intellegible with the main Shona dialects and comprises some click sounds that do not occur in standard ChiShona.

Language and identity[ edit ] When the term Shona was invented during the Mfecane in late 19th century, possibly by the Ndebele king Mzilikazi , it was a pejorative for non- Nguni people . On one hand, it is claimed that there was no consciousness of a common identity among the tribes and peoples now forming the Shona of today. On the other hand, the Shona people of Zimbabwe highland always had in common a vivid memory of the ancient kingdoms, often identified with the Monomotapa state. The terms "Karanga"/"Kalanga"/"Kalaka", now the names of special groups, seem to have been used for all Shona before the Mfecane . [12] Dialect groups are important in Shona although there are huge similarities among the dialects. Although 'standard' Shona is spoken throughout Zimbabwe, the dialects not only help to identify which town or village a person is from (e.g. a person who is Manyika would be from Eastern Zimbabwe, i.e. towns like Mutare) but also the ethnic group which the person belongs to. Each Shona dialect is specific to a certain ethnic group, i.e.

if one speaks the Manyika dialect, they are from the Manyika group/tribe and observe certain customs and norms specific to their group. As such, if one is Zezuru, they speak the Zezuru dialect and observe those customs and beliefs that are specific to them. In 1931, during the process of trying to reconcile the dialects into the single standard Shona, Professor Clement Doke [13] identified six groups, each with subdivisions: 1. The Korekore or Northern Shona, including Taυara, Shangwe, Korekore proper, Goυa, Budya, the Korekore of Urungwe, the Korekore of Sipolilo, Tande, Nyongwe of "Darwin", Pfungwe of Mrewa; 2. The Zezuru group, including Shawasha, Haraυa, another Goυa, Nohwe, Hera, Njanja, Mbire, Nobvu, Vakwachikwakwa, Vakwazvimba, Tsunga; 3.

The Karanga group, including Duma, Jena, Mari, Goυera, Nogoυa, Nyubi; 4. The Manyika group, including Hungwe, Manyika themselves, Teυe, Unyama, Karombe, Nyamuka, Bunji, Domba, Nyatwe, Guta, Bvumba, Here, Jindwi, Boca; 5. The Ndau group (mostly Mozambique), including Ndau themselves, Tonga, Garwe, Danda, Shanga; 6. The Kalanga group, including Nyai, Nambzya, Rozvi, Kalanga proper, Talahundra, Lilima or Humbe, and Peri. The above differences in dialects developed during the dispersion of tribes across the country over a long time. The influx of immigrants, into the country from bordering countries, has obviously contributed to the variety. Shona farms near Murewa , Zimbabwe There are more than ten million people, who speak a range of related dialects whose standardized form is also known as Shona (bantu).

Most researchers point to the ancestors of the Shona as the creators of Great Zimbabwe , the largest pre-European stone structure in Africa south of the Equator. The origin of the ruins was once highly debated but has largely been resolved.[ citation needed ] Subsistence[ edit ] The Shona are traditionally agricultural. Their crops were sorghum (in modern age replaced by maize ), yam , beans, bananas (since middle of the first millennium), African groundnuts , and, not before the 16th century, pumpkins . Sorghum and maize are used to prepare the main dish, a thickened porridge called sadza, and the traditional beer, called hwahwa. [14] The Shona also keep cattle and goats, in history partly as transhumant herders. The lifestock had a special importance as a food reserve in times of drought. [15] Already the precolonial Shona states received a great deal of their revenues form the export of mining products, especially gold and copper.

[15] Housing[ edit ] In their traditional homes, called musha, they had (and have) separate round huts for the special functions, such as kitchen and lounging around a yard cleared from ground vegetation. [16] Arts and crafts[ edit ] The Shona are known for the high quality of their stone sculptures . Also traditional pottery is of a high level. The traditional textile production was of expensive and of high quality. People preferred to wear skins or imported tissues. [15] Shona traditional music, in contrast to European tradition but embedded in other African traditions, tends to constant melodies and variable rhythms. The most important instrument besides drums is the mbira . Singing is also important and families would group together and sing traditional songs. Kingdoms[ edit ] The Kalanga and/or Karanga had, from the 11th century, created empires and states on the Zimbabwe plateau. These states include the Great Zimbabwe state (12-16th century), the Torwa State, and the Munhumutapa states, which succeeded the Great Zimbabwe state as well as the Rozvi state, which succeeded the Torwa State, and with the Mutapa state existed into the 19th century.

The states were based on kingship with certain dynasties being royals.[ citation needed ] The major dynasties were the Rozvi of the Moyo (Heart) Totem, the Elephant (of the Mutapa state), and the Hungwe (Fish Eagle) dynasties that ruled from Great Zimbabwe. The Kalanga who speak Tjikalanga are related to the Karanga possible through common ancestry. Some Shona groups are not very familiar with the existence of the Kalanaga hence they are frequently not recognised as Shona today. These groups had an adelphic succession system (brother succeeds brother) and this after a long time caused a number of civil wars which, after the 16th century, were taken advantage of by the Portuguese. Underneath the king were a number of chiefs who had sub-chiefs and headmen under them. [15] Decay[ edit ] The kingdoms were destroyed by new groups moving onto the plateau.

The Ndebele destroyed the Chaangamire's Rozvi state in the 1830s, and the Portuguese slowly eroded the Mutapa State, which had extended to the coast of Mozambique after the state's success in providing valued exports for the Swahili, Arab and East Asian traders, especially in the mining of gold, known by the pre-colonisation miners as kuchera dyutswa. The British destroyed traditional power in 1890 and colonized the plateau of Rhodesia. In Mozambique, the Portuguese colonial government fought the remnants of the Mutapa state until 1902. [15] Beliefs[ edit ] Nowadays, between 60% and 80% of the Shona are Christians . Besides that, traditional beliefs are very vivid among them. Therefore, some people consider the Christian model split as low as 25%. [17] The most important features are ancestor-worship (the term is called inappropriate by some authors) and totemism . Ancestors[ edit ] According to Shona tradition, after life does not happen in another world like Christian heaven and hell, but as another form of existence in the world here and now.

The Shona attitude towards dead ancestors is very similar to that towards living parents and grandparents. [18] Nevertheless, there is a famous ritual to contact the dead ancestors. It is called Bira ceremony and often lasts all a night. The shona believe in heaven and have always believed in it. We don't talk about it because we don't know what is there so there is no point. When people die they either go to heaven or they don't. What you see as ancestor worship is nothing of the sort. When a man died God (Mwari) was petitioned to tell his people if he was now with Him. They would go into a valley surrounded by mountains on a day where the wind was still. An offering would be made to God and wood reserved for such occasions would be burnt. If the smoke from the fire went up to heaven the man was with God if it dissipated then he was not. If he was with God then he would be seen as the new intercessor to God.

There were always three intercessors to God so this is how the Shona prayed: To our grandfather Tichivara we ask that you pass on our message to our great grandfather Madzingamhepo so he can pass it on to our great great grandfather Mhizhahuru who will in turn pass it to the creator of all, the bringer of rain, the master of all we see, he who sees to our days, the ancient one (these are just examples of the meanings of the names of God. To show respect to him the Shona listed about thirty or so of his names starting with the common and getting to the more complex and or ambiguous ones like...) Nyadenga- the heaven who dwells in heaven, Samatenga- the heavens who dwells in the heavens, our father... Then they would tell God what they needed. His true name, Mwari, was too sacred to be spoken in everyday occasions and was reserved for high ceremonies and the direst of need as it showed Him disrespect to be free with it. As a result God had many names all of which would be recognised as His even by people who had never heard the name before.

He was considered too holy to just go to straight up hence the need for ancestral intercessors. With each new one the oldest was let go. When the missionaries came they talked about Jesus being the universal intercessor, which made sense as there were conflicts in the society with some people wanting their so and so who they belived was with God to be included in intercession. Doing away with ancestral intercessors made sense. However they made no effort to know how we prayed and violently insisted we drop the other gods(different names for God) and keep the high name Mwari. To the Shona what they were saying was 'to get to God all you need to do is disrespect him the most profound way'. As leaving out his names in prayer was the highest form of disrespect. The missionaries would not drink water from the shona, the first form of hospitality God required of us. They would not eat the same food as the shona, another thing God encouraged. To add to that Matopos hill and the land around it was considered the most fertile land in Mashonaland and was reserved for God. John Rhodes took that land as his and chased away the caretakers of the land. People could no longer go there to petition God.

All of which led people to hold on to ancestral intercessors all the more. Jesus was seen as a universal intercessor but as his messengers lacked 'proper manners' it reinforced ancestral intercessors. The modern form devolved from the original as most ceremonies for God were outlawed, families were displaced and separated. The only thing left was to hold on to their ancestors. Still if you ask the so called ancestor worshipers about their religion they would tell you they are Christians. Totems[ edit ] In Zimbabwe, totems (mitupo) have been in use among the Shona people since the initial development of their culture. Totems identify the different clans among the Shona that historically made up the dynasties of their ancient civilization. Today, up to 25 different totems can be identified among the Shona, and similar totems exist among other South African groups, such as the Zulu, the Ndebele, and the Herero. [19] People of the same clan use a common set of totems. Totems are usually animals and body parts.

Examples of animals totems include Shiri/Hungwe (Fish Eagle), Mhofu/Mhofu Yemukono/Musiyamwa (Eland), Mbizi/Tembo (Zebra), Shumba (Lion), Mbeva/Hwesa/Katerere (Mouse), Soko (Monkey), Nzou (Elephant), Ngwena (crocodile), and Dziva (Hippo). Examples of body part totems include Gumbo (leg), Moyo (heart), and Bepe (lung). These were further broken down into gender related names. For example, Zebra group would break into Madhuve for the females and Dhuve or Mazvimbakupa for the males. People of the same totem are the descendants of one common ancestor (the founder of that totem) and thus are not allowed to marry or have an intimate relationship. The totems cross regional groupings and therefore provide a wall for development of ethnicism among the Shona groups. Shona chiefs are required to be able to recite the history of their totem group right from the initial founder before they can be sworn in as chiefs.

Orphans[ edit ] The totem system is a severe problem for many orphans, especially for dumped babies. [20] People are afraid of being punished by ghosts, if they violate rules connected with the unknown totem of a foundling. Therefore, it is very difficult to find adoptive parents for such children. And if the foundlings have grown up, they have problems getting married. [21] Burials[ edit ] The identification by totem has very important ramifications at traditional ceremonies such as the burial ceremony. A person with a different totem cannot initiate burial of the deceased. A person of the same totem, even when coming from a different tribe, can initiate burial of the deceased. For example, a Ndebele of the Mpofu totem can initiate burial of a Shona of the Mhofu totem and that is perfectly acceptable in Shona tradition. But a Shona of a different totem cannot perform the ritual functions required to initiate burial of the deceased. If a person initiates the burial of a person of a different totem, he runs the risk of being asked to pay a fine to the family of the deceased.

Such fines traditionally were paid with cattle or goats but nowadays substantial amounts of money can be asked for. If they bury their dead family members, they would come back at some point to cleanse the stone of the burial. Original courtesy of Wikipedia: — Please support Wikipedia. This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia . A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. We're sorry, but there's no news about "Shona people" right now. Limit to books that you can completely read online Include partial books (book previews) Oops, we seem to be having trouble contacting Twitter Support Wikipedia A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. Please add your support for Wikipedia! Searchlight Group Digplanet also receives support from Searchlight Group. Visit Searchlight Copyright © 2009-2016 Digparty. All rights reserved. Shona People, their history :::: Bulawayo1872.com around somewhere between 1000 and 1050 AD. Their invasion from across the Zambezi river marked the beginning of the dynasty of the Mbire empire which is commonly known as Mutapa Empire (state).

The Mutapa Empire or Mbire Empire covered most pasts of present day Zimbabwe . The empire incorporated most of the whole of Mozambique , South of the Zambezi river and north of the Sabi river down to the sea. Some of the present day South Africa tribes are known to have been segmented from the Shona (best known ones are the Venda and Lovendu). The expansion of Mbire Empire, include the following shona tribes Barwe, Manyika, Ndau, Korekore, Shangwe, and Guruuswa. The Mwanamutapa (or Monomatapas) were the first major civilisation to become established in Zimbabwe. The Mwanamutapa empire, headed by a ruler of the same name, was founded about 1420 among the Karanga people and was centered at Great Zimbabwe. By the mid 1440's, the empire included almost all of the Zimbabwean plateau and extensive parts of what is now Mozambique. The empire was ruled in pyramidal fashion, with the Mwanamutapa appointing regionally based vassals.

The wealth of this empire was based on small-scale industries, for example iron smelting, textiles, gold and copper, along with agriculture. At the height of Mwanamutapa state, it was part of a gold trade network that extended as far as China. In about 1490 the empire split into two parts — Changamire in the south (including Great Zimbabwe) and Mwanamutapa in the north. The latter stretched from the Indian Ocean in the east to present-day central Zambia in the west and from central Zimbabwe in the south to the Zambezi River in the north. The regular inhabitants of the empire's trading towns were the Arab and Swahili merchants with whom trade was conducted. The empire was an important source of gold and ivory, the area attracted Swahili traders from the east coast of Africa (in modern Tanzania). When the Shirazis founded Sofala (in present-day Mozambique), the Karanga empire acquired an export market for its mining production. The ‘Monomotapa’, the Karanga leader, imposed a tributary relation on the neighboring Muslim nation as he had done with other minor cultures of the area.

Thus, Karanga supremacy was established over a region including parts of present-day Malawi. The area around Great Zimbabwe became the trading capital of the wealthiest and most powerful society in south-eastern Africa of its era. The hilltop acropolis at Great Zimbabwe came to serve not only as a fortress but as a shrine for the worship of Mwari, the pre-eminent Shona deity. In the early 16th century the Portuguese arrived in the form of traders and soldiers from Mozambique, and established contact with the empire. Between 1509 and 1512 António Fernandes traveled inland and visited the Mwanamutapa kingdom, which controlled the region between the Zambezi and Save rivers and was the source of much of the gold exported at Sofala. Soon after, Swahili traders resident in Mwanamutapa began to redirect the kingdom's gold trade away from Portuguese-controlled Sofala and toward more northern ports. Thus, Portugal became interested in directly controlling the interior. In 1531, posts were established inland at Sena and Tete on the Zambezi, and in 1544 a station was founded at Quelimane.

The Mutapa empire started its decline around 1500 AD, power struggles among the Mbire resulted in fall of the Mutapa state and the founding of the Rozvi Empire in the South West of present day Zimbabwe . Further splits resulted in the fragmentation of these empires, which led to the innumerable autonomous Shona tribes found in present day Zimbabwe. In 1560 and 1561 Gonçalo da Silveira, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, visited Mwanamutapa, where he quickly made converts, including King Nogomo Mupunzagato. However, the Swahili traders who lived there, fearing for their commercial position, persuaded Nogomo to have Silveira murdered. The presence of the Portuguese had a serious impact that affected some of its trade and there had been a series of wars which left the empire so weakened that it entered the 17th century in serious decline. By the mid-17th century the Portuguese controlled Mwanamutapa empire. By 1690 the Portuguese had been forced off the plateau and much of the land formerly under Mwanamutapa was controlled by the Rozwi.

The Shona dynasties fractured into autonomous states, many of which later formed the Rozwi empire. Peace and prosperity reigned over the next two centuries and the centres of Dhlo-Dhlo, Khami, and Great Zimbabwe reached their peaks. The Mwanamutapa citadel and palace were taken over by the Rozwi, whose Changamira (king) extended his control over the mining area. The Rozwi empire did not however succeed in controlling an area as vast as the ancient Karanga had done. As a result of the mid-19th century turmoil in Transvaal and Natal, the Rozwi Empire came to an end, this was due to the fact that The Matebeles led by Mzilikazi came and devastated the region. The Rozwi emigrated westwards; cities and farmlands, palaces and irrigation canals were abandoned and grass began to grow over the ancient walls of Great Zimbabwe. It was not until the late 19th century that the peoples speaking several mutually intelligible languages were united under the Shona name. There are five main language clusters: Korekore, Zeseru, Manyika, Ndau, and Karanga.

The last of these groups was largely absorbed by the Matebeles ( Ndebele ) when they moved into western side of present day Zimbabwe. If you feel this is not an accurate profile and you have a more accurate one, or you have a clarification , you can submit your version of the Profile here Zimbabwe - Tribes and People Zimbabwe - Tribes and People The tribes and people of Zimbabwe (Individual projects will follow) The following at this stage are various notes - the aim is to refine them into a comprehensive and more cohesive overview of the Zimbabwean people. Zimbabwe is a mixture of people. More than two-thirds of the population speaks Shona as their first language. Shona-speaking people live mainly in the eastern two-thirds of the country, including the capital of Harare, and are made up of the following groups Karanga, Rozwi and Zezuru Around one in five Zimbabweans (the Ndebele and Kalanga groups) speak Northern Ndebele, commonly known as Sindebele. Both Shona and Sindebele are Bantu languages originating from the time when Bantu-speaking tribes populated the region over 1000 years ago.

The Shona tribe is Zimbabwe's largest indigenous group whose tribal language is also called Shona (Bantu). Their population is around 9 million. They are the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe. The Shona are found in Zimbabwe, Botswana and southern Mozambique. Representing over 80% of the population, the Shona tribe is culturally the most dominant tribe in Zimbabwe. Traditionally, Shona people live in isolated settlements, usually consisting of one or more elder men and their extended families. The Shona are a cluster of peoples who have lived for about 2,000 years in a region of the southern Africa Plateau that includes most of Zimbabwe and part of Mozambique. Shona is the name collectively given to two groups of Bantu people in the east and southeast of Zimbabwe, and southern Mozambique. History There have been many civilisations in Zimbabwe, evidence being the ancient stone structures at Khami, Great Zimbabwe and Dhlo-Dhlo. The "Great Zimbabwe" ruins have been radio carbon dated to approximately 600 A.D. Historic findings suggest that the ancestors of modern day Shona people built Great Zimbabwe and hundreds of other stone walled sites in Zimbabwe.

Bantu-speaking farmers, either Khoisan settlers or Iron Age migrants from the north, were the first occupants of the Great Zimbabwe site in the south of the country. Between 500 and 1000AD, the Gokomere (a Bantu group) enslaved and absorbed San groups in the area. As early as the 11th century, some foundations and stonework were in place at Great Zimbabwe and the settlement, generally regarded as the burgeoning Shona society. One line of thought is that the Shona people are descendants from one group of families, that was ruled by one paramount Chief. This line of thought would justify the fact that such Shona High spirits as Chaminuka, Kaguvi and Nehanda command authority over all Shona tribes. It is this that could have enabled the Shona risings of 1896-7, known as the First Chimurenga. Before the risings there where a number of mhondoros (Mhondoro is a Shona language term meaning the founding ancestor of a particular dynasty) in the then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) but none had the authority to co-ordinate the various Shona tribes against the European settlers.

The Shona people as they are today are a fragmented horde of tribes with very tenuous bonds of unity between them. Most Shona people identify with a particular clan rather than with the Shona group as a whole, most Shona communities contain a mixture of clans. (Clan - group of people who descended from the same ancestor) The Shona consisted and still consist of two distinct families – the original Bantu occupants of the country and the conquerors – each of which has split up into a multiplicity of tribes. The original Shona occupants of Zimbabwe are all embodied under the umbrella name “Hungwe”. The conquerors of the Hungwe fall under the blanket name “Mbire”. It is believed that it was the Mbire who were the founders of the Mutapa Empire as well as the Rozvi Empire which was destroyed by the various Nguni tribes that passed through the land of Zimbabwe during the Mfecane wars. Namely, the Ndebele tribe, who now occupy southwest Zimbabwe, and the Shangane tribe in the southeast of Zimbabwe. The Hungwe settled in Zimbabwe for probably two to three hundred years before the Mbire arrived.

The difference between the present day Mbire (which refers to the Marondera – Wedza district and the people whose mutopo is Soko), and the 1500 A.D. Mbire. In about 1500 A.D. the term referred to all the members of the invading family which took over the land from the Hungwe. The Mbire took over the land of Zimbabwe between 1000 and 1050 AD. Their invasion from across the Zambezi river marked the beginning of the dynasty of the Mbire empire which is commonly known as Mutapa Empire (state). The Mutapa Empire or Mbire Empire covered most pasts of present day Zimbabwe. The empire incorporated most of the whole of Mozambique, South of the Zambezi river and north of the Sabi river down to the sea. Some of the present day South Africa tribes are known to have been segmented from the Shona (best known ones are the Venda and Lovendu). The expansion of Mbire Empire, include the following shona tribes Barwe, Manyika, Ndau, Korekore, Shangwe, and Guruuswa.

The Mwanamutapa (or Monomatapas) were the first major civilisation to become established in Zimbabwe. The Mwanamutapa empire, headed by a ruler of the same name, was founded about 1420 among the Karanga people and was centered at Great Zimbabwe. By the mid 1440's, the empire included almost all of the Zimbabwean plateau and extensive parts of what is now Mozambique. The empire was ruled in pyramidal fashion, with the Mwanamutapa appointing regionally based vassals. The wealth of this empire was based on small-scale industries, for example iron smelting, textiles, gold and copper, along with agriculture. At the height of Mwanamutapa state, it was part of a gold trade network that extended as far as China. In about 1490 the empire split into two parts — Changamire in the south (including Great Zimbabwe) and Mwanamutapa in the north, stretching from the Indian Ocean in the east to present-day central Zambia in the west and from central Zimbabwe in the south to the Zambezi River in the north.

The regular inhabitants of the empire's trading towns were the Arab and Swahili merchants with whom trade was conducted. The empire was an important source of gold and ivory, the area attracted Swahili traders from the east coast of Africa (in modern Tanzania). When the Shirazis founded Sofala (in present-day Mozambique), the Karanga empire acquired an export market for its mining production. The ‘Monomotapa’, the Karanga leader, imposed a tributary relation on the neighbouring Muslim nation as he had done with other minor cultures of the area. In this way Karanga supremacy was established over a region including parts of present-day Malawi. The area around Great Zimbabwe became the trading capital of the wealthiest and most powerful society in south-eastern Africa of its era. The hilltop acropolis at Great Zimbabwe came to serve not only as a fortress but as a shrine for the worship of Mwari, the pre-eminent Shona deity. In the early 16th century the Portuguese arrived in the form of traders and soldiers from Mozambique, and established contact with the empire.

Between 1509 and 1512 António Fernandes traveled inland and visited the Mwanamutapa kingdom, which controlled the region between the Zambezi and Save rivers and was the source of much of the gold exported at Sofala. Soon after, Swahili traders resident in Mwanamutapa began to redirect the kingdom's gold trade away from Portuguese-controlled Sofala and toward more northern ports. Thus, Portugal became interested in directly controlling the interior. In 1531, posts were established inland at Sena and Tete on the Zambezi, and in 1544 a station was founded at Quelimane. The Mutapa empire started its decline around 1500 AD, power struggles among the Mbire resulted in fall of the Mutapa state and the founding of the Rozvi Empire in the South West of present day Zimbabwe. Further splits resulted in the fragmentation of these empires, which led to the innumerable autonomous Shona tribes found in present day Zimbabwe.

In 1560 and 1561 Gonçalo da Silveira, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, visited Mwanamutapa, where he quickly made converts, including King Nogomo Mupunzagato. However, the Swahili traders who lived there, fearing for their commercial position, persuaded Nogomo to have Silveira murdered. The presence of the Portuguese had a serious impact that affected some of its trade and there had been a series of wars which left the empire so weakened that it entered the 17th century in serious decline. By the mid-17th century the Portuguese controlled Mwanamutapa empire. By 1690 the Portuguese had been forced off the plateau and much of the land formerly under Mwanamutapa was controlled by the Rozwi. The Shona dynasties fractured into autonomous states, many of which later formed the Rozwi empire. Peace and prosperity reigned over the next two centuries and the centres of Dhlo-Dhlo, Khami, and Great Zimbabwe reached their peaks. The Mwanamutapa citadel and palace were taken over by the Rozwi, whose Changamira (king) extended his control over the mining area.

The Rozwi empire did not however succeed in controlling an area as vast as the ancient Karanga had done. As a result of the mid-19th century turmoil in Transvaal and Natal, the Rozwi Empire came to an end, this was due to the fact that The Matebeles led by Mzilikazi came and devastated the region. The Rozwi emigrated westwards; cities and farmlands, palaces and irrigation canals were abandoned and grass began to grow over the ancient walls of Great Zimbabwe. It was not until the late 19th century that the peoples speaking several mutually intelligible languages were united under the Shona name. There are five main language clusters: Korekore, Ndau, and Karanga. The last of these groups was largely absorbed by the Matebeles (Ndebele) when they moved into western side of present day Zimbabwe. The Shona believe in two types of spirits. Shave spirits are most often considered to be outside or wandering spirits and vadzimu are ancestor spirits. Shave spirits are connected to populations living outside of Shona territory and may be connected to neighbouring people. These spirits may be either malevolent or benevolent.

Bad spirits are associated with witchcraft, while good spirits may inspire individual talents associated with healing, music, or artistic ability. Vadzimu represent all that is ideal and moral about a Shona way of life. They are usually associated with recent ancestors or with more remote culture heroes whose exact genealogy has been forgotten. They serve to protect society, but may withdraw this protection if the Shona moral ideals are not respected In the late 19th century the peoples of this area, whilst speaking several mutually intelligible languages, were united under the Shona name. Other ethnic groups in the southeast, representing around one percent of the population each, are the Tonga in the Zambezi Valley, the Shangaan or Hlengwe in the Low Veld, and the Venda on the border with South Africa. About two percent of the population is of non-African ethnic origin, mainly European and Asian. The Manyika tribe are a Shona people with its own dialect, Manyika. The majority of Manyika comes from the eastern region of Zimbabwe. The dialect is widely spoken in Manicaland Province and in certain areas of Manica Province in neighbouring Mozambique. The Manyica dialect varies from region to region in Manicaland.

Those from Nyanga, Nyamaropa, Nyatate and surrounding regions have a different tone and shaping of words compared to those from the Buhera and Bocha areas. There are inherent cultural norms in each of the sub-regions inhabited by the Manyika. References and Sources Tinotenda - mbira & Shona culture: a brief introduction Shona culture: a brief introduction For many, mbira is their first experience of Zimbabwe or Shona culture. The Shona, who live in high plateau country between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers, are among the sixty million Bantu-speaking people who predominate in central and southern Africa. history Since about 800 C.E., kingdoms of the Shona and neighboring peoples have ruled large territories; stone fortresses such as the Great Zimbabwe number among Africa's most impressive architectural achievements. These kingdoms participated in a lively Indian Ocean commerce with seafaring powers such as the Arabs, Persians, and Indians. The Portuguese arrived about 1500. Eventually the large-scale Shona states faded under pressure from other African groups, notably the more militaristic Ndebele in the 1800s. The Shona became a more decentralized, agricultural people.

At the turn of the twentieth century English-speaking settlers took over the land and imposed their culture and economy on the local African The colonial period in what was then called Rhodesia was brief, but it radically affected most local institutions. As in neighboring South Africa, a systematic policy of land grabbing left Africans materially impoverished. Racist settlers scorned African culture; many local people came to doubt the ways of their ancestors For two decades after the independence of other contemporary African nation-states in the 1950s and 1960s, white Rhodesians maintained their dominance. Finally a war of liberation (1966-1979) culminated in majority rule and the birth of the nation-state Zimbabwe in 198l. Music played a part in the struggle. Popular and traditional songs with hidden meaning; helped galvanize mass opinion; spirit mediums were leaders in the war against white privilege. After decades of denigration by some Africans who had lost faith in traditional culture, the mbira becomes a positive symbol of cultural identity.

David Locke — Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples recent history and traditional Shona music Shona music was and is so much more than what Westerners associate with "music" The "traditional" music of Zimbabwe reveals people's spiritual beliefs, their modes of expression, patterns of communication and forms of entertainment, in as much as their present day popular music reveals a lot about the people's present lives and past experiences. For example, traditional Shona songs were a medium of instruction through which young boys and girls were taught the values and expectations of adulthood. All social relationships were sealed, bonded and regulated through songs. Through songs, a daughter-in-law would express her bitterness against a horrible mother-in-law, a bitter wife against a greedy husband, and the whole community would protest against an unjust chief, hence there is a tradition of Shona protest songs." There were songs to praise, urge, ridicule and reprimand. Most communication strategies in the pre-literate and oral African societies were musical in one way or another. Alice Dadirai Kwaramba — The Effect of Colonization on Music in Zimbabwe — The colonization of Zimbabwe dramatically affected all aspects of Shona life, including its music.

Accompanying the new "settlers" were missionaries, and these church groups took on the responsibility for administering the education of "Africans." Through the classroom the missionaries were able to condemn traditional religious practice aa well as traditional forms of expression such as dance and music. Schools imposed European religious and esthetic values on the Shona people. As people were converted to Christianity European four-part a cappella hymn singing.was imposed while traditional drumming with call-and-response singing was discouraged. Mbira was condemned. Colonization, a legacy shared by most African societies, was a significant turning point in their history. It introduced new social and political structures such as urbanization, formal school education, the Christian religion, and more importantly new varieties of music such as Christian hymns. The traditional role of music as a medium of instruction was replaced by the introduction of a formal education system which was closely linked to the new Christian religion. The introduction of the Christian religion on the other hand changed the people's religious songs and ritual music. Recognizing the close relationship between the people's religion and music, Christian missionaries, ensured a fast decline in traditional culture and religion.

Written church hymns replaced African religious songs, with a choral type of music comprising of four lines, namely soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. This type of music emphasized meter, a thing that was alien to African music which is based on rhythm and polyphony. It also came with certain dress codes, voice modulation rules, selected instruments and dancing styles that were alien to the religious performances of the people.2 For example, in Rhodesia, Catholic missionaries castigated the use of the mbira instrument in church ceremonies and dismissed it as unholy and heathen. Christian converts were usually forbidden to play traditional musical instruments. The mbira and the drum which had carried the tradition of the Shona people's music for a long time were often dismissed as unholy. One major change that the choir concept effected was to cut a clear division between those who were "gifted with voices" and those who were not, who consequently became the audience in a society where, before, virtually everyone was considered a singer in their own way. Alice Dadirai Kwaramba — The Effect of Colonization on Music in Zimbabwe — economy Shona are primarily agricultural.

Their main crop is maize, but they also grow millet, sorghum, rice, beans, manioc, peanuts, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes. They raise some cattle, sheep, and chickens. Women may supplement their income by selling pottery and hand woven baskets that serve primarily as utilitarian objects. Men may work as blacksmiths or carvers by commission. Although cows are milked, they are most often used for bride price. Cows are considered taboo for women, so men must do all of the milking and herding. Men also do some hunting and fishing, but neither contribute greatly to the food supply. Men and women both participate in farming. Art and Africa Online — ~africart culture Shona culture emphasizes the extended family. The Shona person lives for the family not for themselves. This is exemplified in the way farm work is shared through "nhimbe." Hunhu refers to a person's character, spirituality, disposition and sense of responsibility.. One's hunhu determines how one is regarded in society—a person with hunhu is respected, one without hunhu is an outcast. The Shona are a paternal society and society is centered around the extended family.

Although a paternalistic society, Shona mothers are treated as "holy". The extended family is further extended through the "mutupo" or totem and people of the same totem do not marry. Despite mass movement to urban areas, the traditional Shona people maintain constant contact with their rural home. Deep down, they are agricultural people and they pride themselves as "sons and daughters of the soil.” This comes from their tradition of burying the umbilical cord (once it drops off a new-born baby) in the soil at the entrance of the hut they cook in - the kitchen. The Shona also connect to the land through their ancestors and refer to their home areas as "Kune makuva amadzitateguru angu" (the place where my ancestors are buried). political system Traditionally, Shona peoples lived in dispersed settlements, usually consisting of one or more elder men and their extended families. Most decisions were made within the family, although organized political states were recognized as a source of centralized power. They were headed by a paramount chief who inherited his position and power in the divine manner of a king. He usually resided in a centralized location and was accompanied by his court who advised him about most important decisions.

The head chief often received substantial payment in the form of tributes from his constituency. Art and Africa Online — ~africart language The Shona language is intertwined with Shona social and religious values. The Shona language is diglossic—in addition to an everyday Shona language there is a "high" or "deep" Shona that is used in communicating with the ancestors. Because of the mbira's place in Shona spirituality, deep Shona, which is rich in proverbs and has a vocabulary all its own, is the language of much mbira singing. Although one does not need to know Shona to learn the mbira, it would seem that a knowledge of the language would lead to a much deeper understanding of and connection with mbira. religion Shona peoples believe in two types of spirits. Shave spirits are most often considered to be outside or wandering spirits, and vadzimu are ancestor spirits. Shave spirits are associated with populations living outside of Shona territory and may be connected to neighboring peoples, Europeans, or even animals. These spirits may be either malevolent or benevolent. Bad spirits are associated with witchcraft, while good spirits may inspire individual talents associated with healing, music, or artistic ability.

Vadzimu represent all that is ideal and moral about a Shona way of life and are usually associated with recent ancestors or with more remote culture heroes whose exact genealogy has been forgotten. They serve to protect society, but may withdraw this protection if Shona moral ideals are not respected. (See our page on Shone spirituality )

Question: The Shona people come from which country?
Answer: Zimbabwe